architects and urban designers

Victoria Baths

Location: Manchester UK

Programme: 2006

Client: Artisan Ship Canal Developments

Contract Value: £22m

The founder’s vision for Victoria Baths was to create a building complex that dealt with community health and well-being in a holistic way. They remained a remarkable testimony to that vision, though decaying rapidly. The aim of the proposals was to marry the considerable financial potential of a healthy living facility with a targeted specialist residential or apartment-hotel component.

Architecturally, Arca envisaged the new elements of the scheme as simple and clear, whilst recalling the past in the care of the detailing and materials deployed. The team’s proposals were intended to inject a vibrant mix of living, hotel and leisure uses into Victoria baths that preserved and retained the core function of the complex for health and well-being.